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What are the common problems with the 2010 Mazda Tribute?

Owners of the 2010 Mazda Tribute have filed 39 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the powertrain (13) and steering (11). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 30 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.

By VIN Lookup Research DeskPublished 2026-11-11NHTSA files 2026-11-11United States
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Most-reported problems, 2010 Tribute

NHTSA's file holds 39 owner complaints on the 2010 Mazda Tribute. Owners named the powertrain most often: 13 complaints, and half of the 13 that list a mileage came after 44,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 39 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

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Common problems with the 2010 Tribute

NHTSA's file holds 39 owner complaints on the 2010 Mazda Tribute. Owners named the powertrain most often: 13 complaints, and half of the 13 that list a mileage came after 44,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.

2010 Mazda Tribute: most-reported NHTSA component categories, with the median mileage of the complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Component (NHTSA category)ComplaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
Power Train131344,500
Steering11862,156
Engine7658,269
Fuel/propulsion System63Under 5 mileages
Vehicle Speed Control6560,000

Of the 39 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2010 Tribute

The 30 mileages owners gave run from 10 to 150,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 37,000 miles, half at or under 57,000, three quarters at or under 75,000 and nine in ten at or under 108,000; 5 (17%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.

These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2010 Tribute wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.

Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 25 of the 30 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2010 Tribute can cover.

2010 Mazda Tribute: mileage in the 30 NHTSA complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
MeasureValue
Lowest mileage listed10 miles
25th percentile37,000 miles
Median (50th percentile)57,000 miles
75th percentile75,000 miles
90th percentile108,000 miles
Highest mileage listed150,000 miles
Complaints after 100,000 miles5 (17%)
Complaints after 150,000 milesnone
Complaints after 200,000 milesnone

Every model year together: Half of the 1,386 NHTSA owner complaints on the Mazda Tribute that list mileage came after 82,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Mazda Tribute last? →

Is the 2010 Tribute a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2010 is a good or a bad Tribute: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2010 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.

With 39 complaints, the 2010 ranks 8th of the 10 Mazda Tribute model years from 2001 to 2011 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2001 (563). The fewest: the 2011 (14).

Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.

Mazda Tribute: NHTSA owner complaints by model year, 2001–2011 (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Model yearOwner complaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
2001 Tribute56323368,538
2002 Tribute38421068,214
2003 Tribute19915074,351
2004 Tribute157130100,000
2005 Tribute377312101,000
2006 Tribute13511177,000
2008 Tribute20216982,000
2009 Tribute363085,200
2010 (this page)393057,000
2011 Tribute141139,000

Every Tribute year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Mazda Tribute years to avoid →

2010 Mazda Tribute recalls

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 2010 Mazda Tribute (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

2010 Mazda Tribute: the 3 recall campaigns in NHTSA’s recall files (November 11, 2026)
CampaignReport receivedComponent
16V788000Oct 28, 2016FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
15E045000Jun 3, 2015SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING
14V282000May 29, 2014STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

What these figures can and cannot tell you

  • Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
  • The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
  • The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
  • They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2010 Tribute lasts.
  • A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2010 Tribute.
  • Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
  • 9 of the 39 complaints on the 2010 Mazda Tribute give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
  • NHTSA names counted: TRIBUTE and TRIBUTE HYBRID. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
  • Recall-file names matched: TRIBUTE and TRIBUTE HYBRID.
Evidence

Primary sources behind this page

Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  2. Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  3. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  4. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  5. Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  6. NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  7. Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.

Quick answers

2010 Mazda Tribute questions

What are the most common 2010 Mazda Tribute problems?

NHTSA's file holds 39 owner complaints on the 2010 Mazda Tribute. Owners named the powertrain most often: 13 complaints, and half of the 13 that list a mileage came after 44,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 39 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2010 Mazda Tribute?

Of the 30 complaints on the 2010 Mazda Tribute that list mileage, the middle half came between 37,000 and 75,000 miles; 5 (17%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2010 Tribute can cover.

Is the 2010 Mazda Tribute a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2010 is a good or a bad Tribute: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2010 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 39 complaints, the 2010 ranks 8th of the 10 Mazda Tribute model years from 2001 to 2011 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2001 (563). The fewest: the 2011 (14).

How many recalls does the 2010 Mazda Tribute have?

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 2010 Mazda Tribute (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

How do I check a used 2010 Mazda Tribute before buying?

Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2010 Mazda Tribute.